Always Forgive Your Enemies – Nothing Annoys Them So Much!

Learning what it is to forgive - both granting it to others and accepting it for ourselves - is one of the keys to my spiritual recovery. Many of us are plagued with feelings of guilt. Once we have finally become accountable and are able to see our lives in a new perspective, we long for a chance to undo our mistakes. Many of us carry guilt for years as if we deserved to be punished. But this day, of all days, tells me to let go. Simply going through the motions of forgiving or accepting forgiveness will NOT get us very far. Spiritually bypassing, not really FEELING what needs to be felt, leaves us feeling empty. We must squarely face our feelings and tell someone so we are no longer alone with our guilt. Then, if there is a possibility for repair without further hurt, we must make repair. It is in this concrete way that we can begin to be genuinely forgiven and fully accept forgiveness. When we have a spiritual experience like this, we mature, we grow and most importantly, we gain the ability to forgive others.

Today, I am grateful for the relief of being forgiven and letting go of past mistakes. This, for me, is a practice. One that I do not do well.

But practice I shall.